Top Military Blogger Dies In Iraq; Read His Final Post

Andrew Olmsted, who also posted here as G'Kar, was killed yesterday in Iraq. Andy gave me a post to publish in the event of his death; the last revisions to it were made in July.

Andy was a wonderful person: decent, honorable, generous, principled, courageous, sweet, and very funny. The world has a horrible hole in it that nothing can fill. I'm glad Andy -- generous as always -- wrote something for me to publish now, since I have no words at all. Beyond: Andy, I will miss you.

My thoughts are with his wife, his parents, and his brother and sister.

What follows is Andy's post: a bit here; the rest below the fold. [UPDATE: I'm adding links to Andy's last post at his Rocky Mountain News blogs, from about a week ago, where friends and family are expressing support in comments; to an article from yesterday that I believe is about his death; and to a post he wrote on his reasons for going to Iraq last June.]

Read the post.

For comprehensive coverage on Iraq, check out Huffington Post's WarWire.

Comments

[Orlando]

WAR IS OVER!!!
If you vote Ron Paul.

[rblackbird]

Some believe that soldiers who die in battle go immediately into heaven. Let us pray this is true for this soldier.

I hope as well that his wish comes true that people will remember the pain of losing good people in this war, as a bulwark against rushing off on new military adventures. Tragically, we forgot the pain and loss of our misbegotten war in Vietnam when we went to war in Iraq.

As the anthem of the Vietnam generation, "Where Have
All the Flowers Gone," put it:

"Where have all the soldiers gone?.
"Gone to graveyards every one.

"When will they ever learn,
When will they ever learn?"

[jeffd]

People who know me, or who have read me, have a pretty good idea on where I stand on the Iraq War and how we got into it; it's closely related to the reason why I do not presently live in North America.

For those of you who haven't read Major Andrew Olmstead's blog, I suggest that you do so before flipping any opinion switches. After that, if you have any connection with G'Kar, or have ever chosen to put yourself in a position where you and your very life are part of something far larger, you'll have sense enough to know how and where to record your thoughts. Chickenhawks, those who disrespect the dead (on any side), and people who engage their mouth before putting their heart and mind in gear should please just STFU and go away. Have a little decency, for crying out loud.

[Nanotyrnns]

As awful as it sounds, we should probably just get used to this. Those guys aren't coming home any time soon. We've failed them just as surely as our Congress and President have failed them.

[hannabanana]

Yesiree, everyone loves a gunslinging occupier, Don't they? After all, it's all done just for hugs for the children.

[Orlando]

I look at the youth that they send to fight in this war of aggression and occupation and wonder why these kids are not on a college campus somewhere.
They should be reading a book in the warm sunlight of the commons, dreaming of the young co-eds, learning of different ideas and ways of thinking and how to treat your fellow man. Instead, they are used as pawns to drive the price of oil to $100/barrel by the oil companies.
How did America come to accept so little for its children?
How did this society abandon our principles and wage a war of aggression?
When will we hold those responsible, accountable?
Tragic...
wasteful...
immoral.
Can't we imagine a better future?
Can't we demand better for our family?
How many American lives have been wasted?
How many Iraqi?
When is it enough?

[RightBrain]

At least he died for a good reason, a cause that he believed in, and a cause for which generations in the Middle East will reap the benefits.

[TellingTruth2Kooks]

Is life pretty good from the cheap seats?

George Orwell, I think said it best:

"Men sleep peacefully in their beds at night
because rough men stand ready
to do violence on their behalf."

We have lost a Rough Man, a Lot of Rough Men & Women, who died doing what they thought was Right not only for themselves, but for their country, and for the Citizens of their Country. But why would someone do such things? Because they have come to realize that the Crazies are Crazy!!! Face it, there are people on our planet that pose an Unacceptable Threat to the United States of America, and anyone who doesn't see Islamofascism as a Major Threat to ALL OF CIVILIZED HUMANITY is just as Crazy as the Crazies, and are probably a bigger threat to our Security than those hiding in the mountain caves of Pakistan.

Our Soldiers didn't enlist to die for our cause; they joined up to fight for our cause, for our right to exist, for all of us, regardless of our religious or political leanings, affiliations or philosophies.

Just as I manned my post when called upon, our current Armed Forces are well aware of the risks they are undertaking, but are willing to do so because they believe in what it is they do.

So to all of you Military Haters out there, who want to Molly-Coddle the Islamofascists, and want to bend over backwards to defend them, just remember that you are also defending their belief that Women are the Possessions of their Male relatives, to be Honor Killed off for whatever reason they feel that these poor women may be guilty of and that it is Ok with them to hang Homosexuals in the Public Square!

But after reading most of these posts here, there can only be one conclusion and that is that Liberalism has proved itself to be the Lice on the American Body Politic, so much that they won't be happy until they have sucked all the Life out of the Host that has Nourished them so well!

[truthyguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB2c5ZRX9cg

[johannesrolf]

what a self absorbed post by this young soldier.

[KISSME]

"The world has a horrible hole in it that nothing can fill"

--I just farted. There the 'horrible hole' has been filled.

Your hysterical verbage about one dead killer is lame.

What will actually leave a horrible hole in this world is 650 000 + innocent murdered by Americans.

[nellie]

Beautiful intelligent post. Sad to lose such a spirit.

[ConcernAmerican]

I've just finish reading the last entry of Andy left to his friend if he is killed in Iraq.

WAR IS UGLY! WAR IS DEATH!

This are the two reasons before the illegal invasion of Iraq I stand up for what I believed in and joined Veterans demonstration/rallies against the invasion. It was a hard choice to make but I knew I was doing the right thing, somebody has to stand up while the majority was in FEAR in deep PANIC. Like other anti-war rallyists, I was called a commie, unpatriotic, traitor, coward etc etc not counting spit on too many times by my fellow Americans. I knew I was right, and I've proven them wrong.

The death of Andy lies in the hands of our leaders that LIED to us, uses false intelligence to justify invading a sovereign nation that has no quarrel with us.

Up to now I cannot reconcile why majority of the American people believed what Bush and neoconservative media like Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Fox News Network spewed to the people every second prior to invasion? I know we are smart people, but somehow the majority is devoid of common sense.

We NEED a NEW PRESIDENT who is STRONG and DECISIVE and KNOW how to work the system in Washington to withdraw our troops from Iraq. The new President CANNOT be an outsider, that person will ONLY prolong the agony of our soldiers in the Middle East. The death toll in Iraq is higher than the number of deaths that occured in 9/11.

Whoever you vote for this November, think of our soldiers in Iraq and Afhganistan, they're very tired, some are committing suicide due to stress. We as a nation CANNOT afford ON THE JOB TRAINING for President. The next President must start running as soon as her/his feet hit the ground.

[MRb1000]

Freedom is not Free. Rest in peace. Bring the boys and gals home. Our prayers goes out the the family.

[argosfalcon]

He will be missed and remembered, and I hope his wish not to be used for someones political points will be honored. In war, there are many brave and wise people lost I can only wish that we could learn that it's a last resort not the first option when a countries leaders cast about for a solution.